RRL

The production of tomato paste requires the use of fresh, matured, uncontaminated tomatoes
especially without infected bruises, and must be of high quality (good species), stated by Adegbola
(2012). All raw food and materials should be handled with care in order to avoid bruises and
damages. Foods should be kept off the ground and protected from insects. Raw materials should be
kept cool by storing them away from sunlight. Bruised but not infected tomatoes can also be
processed but putting in mind that bruises encourage infestation.

Fenco (2014) gave a detailed description of the processing steps in production of tomato paste as
outline in this subsection:

Fresh tomatoes containing 7%TS (Total Solids) and 93% water arrives at the plant in trucks are
unloaded into a collection channel (also known as flume), a stainless steel or cement duct into which
a quantity of water 2 to 3 times higher than the amount of unloaded tomato is continuously
pumped. For example, a 10 tons/hour rate requires at least 30m3/hour of water.

This water flow carries the tomatoes into the roller elevator, which then conveys them to the sorting
station. The delivery trucks park-up alongside the flume and, while the trailers containing the
tomatoes are being tilted towards it, an operator, using a special tube, pipes a vast quantity of water
inside the truck, so that the tomatoes can flow out from the special 50 x 50cm opening. In this way
the tomatoes and the water will be gradually feed into the flume without getting damaged.

The tomatoes then arrive at the sorting station where 5% of the weight will be discarded as culls
(Saravacos and Kostaropoulos, 2003), after having been rinsed under a clean water spraying system
(preferably drinking water). Here, the staff removes the green, damaged and excessively small
tomatoes which are placed on a reject conveyor (or an auger) and then collected in a large box or
directly inside a truck to be taken away. The tomatoes suitable for processing are transported to the
chopping station (this may be a hammer mill or a special mono-pump provided with pre-feeding
screw) where they are chopped. Then the crushed tomato is fed into an electrically driven
mechanical pulper. This separates the juice from seeds and skins. The tomatoes are rubbed against a
perforated drum by two brushes which are fixed to the central shaft driven directly by the motor. The
juice passes through the perforated drum into the outer stationary drum and collected through an
outlet. The remaining seeds and skins are pushed out through an outlet connected to the inner
perforated drum. (Practical Action, 2015)
The 6.5 wt% of the crushed tomatoes known as the pomace (FAO, 2009) containing 80% moisture
(Feedipedia, 2015) enters a refining station where further juice is recovered which will rejoin with
the unrefined chopped and crushed tomatoes at the homogenzing machine. The products are forced
through the homogenizing valve producing changes in the particle structures. These mechanisms
relate to the changes in the structure of an aqueous tomato dispersion caused by the application of
mechanical energy (GEA, 2015). After this, they proceed to an evaporator which involves the removal
of water from the juice to have a desired product containing 75% water and 25% solids and serves a
main purpose, improve microbiological stability with reduction of water activity, which is the
predominant factor in most organic degradation processes.